DUBAI //More than 400 dune buggies and quad bikes were confiscated by police in the first nine months of this year because they were used illegally on public roads, police said.
Lt Gen Dahi Khalfan Tamim, the chief of Dubai Police, said that driving these vehicles on roads endangers lives.
"It puts the life of the person driving them at risk, and therefore, as a precautionary measure the traffic department confiscates them if found on the roads," said Gen Tamim.
Police have boosted their efforts to eliminate the activity by intensifying their patrols in Bur Dubai and Deira, areas in which such activity is prominent.
The practice of driving the recreational vehicles is common among young people, who usually drive them in the desert but have more and more taken to using them on the roads in a dangerous manner, police said.
"The department has confiscated many of those bikes from owners who carry out stunts with them and drive them against the traffic on roads, roundabouts and at traffic junctions," said Maj Gen Saif al Zafein, the head of the Traffic Police. "Such practices have led to fatal accidents."
Maj Gen al Zafein urged parents not to give in to their children's demands to buy such vehicles, as the majority of the owners break traffic rules.
"Parents who are buying quad bikes for their children are endangering their lives," he said.
Registering or renewing registration for a quad costs Dh300, with an additional Dh100 as a vehicle-inspection fee.
